Right at Her Fingertips
by Ijemanja
Summary: First times. KayleeInara


Summary: First times.

Pairing: Kaylee/Inara

**Right At Her Fingertips**

by Ijemanja

* * *

The first time Kaylee ever talked to Inara, besides the bashful stammering that went on as the Captain introduced her round and Kaylee had to resist the urge to curtsy - a real feat when she didn't even know _how_ to curtsy - was after she'd been on board a few days. Much as she wanted to get to know a real live Companion, she was too scared to seek her out. Then in walked Inara, right into the engine room, wanting help with her scrubbers.

"The Captain informs me you're the one who can help me," she said.

"Oh," Kaylee jumped to her feet, rubbing her hands on her overalls, "Sure, that's me all right! It's what I'm here for. On the ship, I mean. Though my daddy'd say it's why God put me down on the earth. To fix anythin' I ever saw.'

She grinned and tried to stem the flow of babble. It didn't work too well.

But she did manage to fix the scrubbers, and she always could talk just as well waist-deep in an air-filtration system as not.

A few days after that Inara came across Kaylee again, this time in the mess.

"Just makin' some tea," she explained. "Want some? Don't worry none, we got plenty. Yep, plenty of tea. Dandelion, rosehip, regular old black - ain't nobody out here got a problem growin' tea. Seems to me," she added, a little wistful, "Someone oughta come up with a kind what's good for a chocolate cravin'."

Inara just smiled, took her back to her shuttle, and fed her chocolate from the Core.

Chocolate that didn't even seem real it was so fine.

As far as Kaylee was concerned, now that she'd fixed Inara's shuttle, and Inara had shared her sweets, they were already friends.

And bona fide Companion straight out of the Core or not, Inara seemed to know it, too.

* * *

"But there's friends, an' then there's more'n friends," she said one evening, when supper was finished and they were whiling away some time together. "Most boys I come across only seem keen on one or the other. Be nice, meetin' someone lookin' for both at once."

She sighed. It was difficult to get too worked up about her troubles with Inara's hairbrush pulling rhythmically through her hair, the regular motion soothing so that she could almost be lulled to sleep.

"Then there's those like you and Cap'n," she added.

The brush stilled for just the briefest of moments before going on. She tilted her head back so she could look up at her.

"Me and the Captain?" Inara repeated, one of her eyebrows arching up like the curve of a question mark.

"Both of you look to me like a little sister - you never noticed? Not," she added, grinning wide and hopeful that she hadn't offended, "That I'm sayin' it oughta be otherwise..."

Inara smiled back, that sweet smile of hers, and gently but firmly tilted her head back down so she could start up again with her brushing.

"You'd like someone to see you differently?" she said after another moment.

"See me different," Kaylee agreed, "_Touch_ me different. Think that sounds ungrateful? All I ever wanted was to work my way on a ship, see other places 'sides my own little town. And here I am..."

Here she was in Inara's shuttle, with her being so nice, and all she could do was complain. It wasn't like she'd hadn't been brought up better than that.

* * *

Times were, on occasion, her mother would take her to town and she'd stare and stare, big-eyed and near bursting with wanting to explore.

"Hands behind you back, Kaylee, don't let me catch you layin' so much as a finger on _anythin'_," her momma would say.

And she'd just stare at the pretties, longing to touch and never being allowed.

Back then it seemed like the only things anyone ever wanted her touching were either grease-covered or potatoes needing scraping.

The first time she saw Inara, she had the urge to put her hands behind her back and keep them there.

* * *

"Not at all," Inara was saying, as she separated Kaylee's hair into portions for braiding. "There's nothing wrong with wanting someone to see you as a woman."

"And not forgettin' to touch me like one. Girl can get real lonely out here in the black, is all I'm sayin'."

Inara laughed. "There's nothing wrong with wanting that, either."

Kaylee nodded ruefully, and sighed again. Of course Inara understood about that.

"Mei-mei," Inara said, thoughtful, her fingers smooth and gentle as they combed through her hair. "It's only an endearment - little sister, beloved child... I hope you know that's not all that I see in you."

"Oh, I wouldn't mind," she told her, not heeding her words too well on account of all the uncommon attention.

"What I see is a beautiful, brilliant, caring woman."

"Hmm," she hummed, eyes closed, smiling dreamily.

Then there was the lightest of playful tugs on her hair. "Are you even listening to me?"

She opened her eyes up and laughed. "I always pay close attention when there's pretty things bein' said about me. You can go on, just as much as you like."

"I could you know, for such a sweet, charming young woman," Inara drawled, just a little sarcastic.

Kaylee grinned some more, bouncing a little in her seat.

"But would you believe me?"

There was an edge to Inara's voice all of a sudden and Kaylee turned her head up to look at her.

"Just hard to think, someone like you seein' someone like me that way." She shrugged. "Just don't seem likely, that's all."

"That's all?"

Inara put a hand on her face, moving it as she came round to stand in front of her. Then she put her other hand on Kaylee's other cheek so that she was holding Kaylee's face in her palms.

"Kaylee," she said, all serious, "You should never tell someone like me where to pay her compliments."

And then Kaylee saw the laughter there, too, almost hidden. She breathed out and found herself grinning again.

"Sorry, won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't, because I don't do this with every pretty girl whose hair I brush."

She blinked at that and had to ask, "Do what?"

Inara smiled and said, "Only the special ones."

The first time she saw Inara, it was like every shiny thing she'd ever seen came on board with her - fancy things and fancy ways so that all she could do was look and look. There were satins and silks, painted china and shimmering lacquer, every type of thing she'd always longed to touch but never dared.

The first time she kissed Inara, when Inara bent down and pressed her lips up against Kaylee's own, Kaylee reached out with her hands and there she was.


End file.
